Putting this thought out of my mind, I approach the bird monster and use my ability on it. Within seconds, the pieces of the monster are consumed in a grotesque scene and soon a sound echoes in my head.
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ACQUIRED THE SKILL (DARK STEP)
Hearing the voice in my head, a question mark arises in me.
(Was that monster not moving through the dungeon's structure but through the shadows?)
Apparently, my initial judgment was wrong.
(Well, it doesn't matter now anyway)
With that thought in mind, I decided to test the new skill I had acquired.
“Dark step"
As soon as I uttered those words, I suddenly started sinking into the ground. It was a strange but at the same time rewarding feeling; it was as if the entire place within shadows was a kind of sea where I could swim.
(My vision is not impaired, and I also seem to be able to get out of this state easily)
I thought after analyzing this ability. After that, I deactivated the ability and started walking again through the dungeon. I was relatively curious to know what the last floor would be like. Would I face some kind of boss or get some treasure? I really didn't know the answer. With several thoughts in mind, I continued walking down the narrow corridor while using my sensory perception to try to sense the enemies ahead.
(3 readings)
That's what I thought as I sensed more monsters ahead.
"Dark step"
As soon as I said this, my body sank into the shadows, and soon, I started moving forward towards the monsters. In this state, I also moved incredibly faster than normal, being able to say that I am practically teleporting. As soon as I got to the place where the readings were pointing, I saw a snake and two bats. Apart from the strange fact that they were not attacking each other, they didn't seem to notice me. This gave me a great opportunity for a surprise attack.
(Let's see if I can use my skills while I am in this state)
With that thought, I focused on the snake and the two bats before muttering the name of my skill.
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"Steel wire"
As soon as I said this, several wires appeared and began to coil around both the snake and the bats. Even with their movement, I realized that they would not be able to get loose. These wires were even tougher than I had imagined.
"Flame"
As soon as I said this, all the wires caught fire, burning all the monsters that were trapped. No doubt, this was a combo with a lot of firepower. As soon as the fire was extinguished, the only thing left were 3 charred corpses on the floor. Leaving the charred corpses behind, I continued advancing down the corridors of the dungeon. Just as Aurora-sama had told me, consuming monsters that I had already consumed before wouldn't give me any benefit, so I simply ignored the three monsters. Taking more time down here is what I least want.
After a few minutes of walking, I finally reached another flight of stairs leading down. This would be the fourth and final floor. Although I know that this is something dangerous, I cannot contain the small emotion emanating from my chest. As I started going down the stairs, the feeling increased even more.
As soon as I reached the last step, another corridor presented itself in front of me. So, as I activated my sensory perception, I could not sense any life forms ahead. However, I could clearly sense that there was a point where my ability was being blocked. As I continued to move forward, I arrived in front of a large gate. In front of the gate, I wondered how exactly I was supposed to open this thing.
"You can just push it open. It's lighter than it looks"
My doubts were quickly answered by Aurora-sama, speaking in my head. Following what Aurora-sama had said, I slowly started to walk towards the gate. As soon as I got close, I put both my hands on the front of the gate and prepared to push. But before I even had to put any amount of force, the gate started to open.
(What? This thing is really light)
I thought with a look of disbelief. Just from the size of the gate, you would normally think it would weigh a few dozen tons, but incredibly it was quite light.
"Fufufu, I didn't say"
said Aurora-sama in a smug voice. It was easy to imagine the huge smile that must have been on her beautiful face. Putting that thought out of my mind, I started to open the door. As soon as I finished opening the door, a large spacious room appeared in my field of vision. Looking around, I couldn't see any enemies.
Despite the darkness, there was a light coming from the ceiling. As soon as I looked at the ceiling, I saw several crystals lined up next to each other. This was a beautiful sight. Although I was inside a cave, moreover, there was a crystal in the middle of the ceiling that was much bigger than the others.
(So... what happens now?)
Seeming to answer my thought, suddenly a sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the place. I quickly started to look around, but all I could see were the dungeon walls. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
"Upstairs"
As soon as I heard Aurora-sama's voice, my field of vision quickly went to the top of the cave.
(But what?)
My train of thought became totally confused when I saw a huge mass of black goo falling towards me.
"Fast step"
As soon as I said that, I quickly moved away from where I was standing. As soon as I looked up at what had fallen from the ceiling, the monster began to squirm irregularly. Its texture seemed gelatinous, but I could clearly identify what that thing was.
(A slime?)
I thought as I looked at that monster.
"A demonic slime. It's been a long time since I've seen one of those"
Said Aurora-sama with a soft voice, as if she was remembering something that happened a few short years ago.